Strawberry Picking at Von Thun Farms

It’s strawberry picking season, everybody…. Why is it that fruit you picked yourself always tastes better than any other kind?

Last weekend we visited Von Thun Farms on their “Kids Day,” conveniently timed the day before Mother’s Day so you can pick up plenty of flowers and vegetable seedlings for Mom. The sun was shining, the chickens were clucking, and we picked a lot of strawberries.

The next day I baked a strawberry custard pie. The recipe is below the pictures.

Strawberry Custard Pie

INGREDIENTS

1 baked pie crust

1 pint washed and dried fresh strawberries, trimmed of leaves

2 cups milk

1/3 cup sugar

5 large egg yolks

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

3 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp vanilla

3 tbsp confectioner’s sugar

Combine the milk and about half the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until they are pale and form a ribbon when dropped from the beater, about 5 minutes. Sift the flour and cornstarch into the egg yolk mixture and mix gently until blended.

Gradually pour the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, stirring, then return to the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, whisking vigorously, for 2 minutes. Strain into a mixing bowl and mix in vanilla extract. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on the surface of the cream to prevent formation of a skin. Cool on a wire rack, then refrigerate at least one hour.

Pour cooled cream into baked pie crust. Place strawberries upside down into the cream (fit as many into the crust as possible). Sift confectioner’s sugar over top.